Indiana reclaimed the top spot in the national rankings, climbing from third to first after Saturday's win over Michigan and a loss by second ranked Kansas.
The Hoosiers, who began the year as the number one team and held onto that rnaking until a December loss to Butler in the Crossroads Classic, now become the hunted. The number one spot has been precarious all season as a total of five programs, including IU, Duke, and Michigan, have all been perched atop the rankings.
IU faces a pair of tough road tests in Big Ten Conference play this week. The Hoosiers travel to Illinois on Thursday, where the Illini are reeling after a quick non-conference start, and then Ohio State on Sunday.
Meanwhile, sophomore center Cody Zeller pocketed Big Ten Player of the Week honors after helping the Hoosiers to wins over Purdue and No. 1 Michigan. The 7 foot Zeller, a native of Washington, IN, averaged a double-double with 19 points and 10.5 rebounds over the two wins, showing an aggressiveness that hasn't always been present this season.
Against Purdue, Zeller scored 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and two assists in a 90-67 win at Mackey Arena. He then tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while shooting 80 percent from the floor as the Hoosiers knocked off the top-ranked Wolverines in Assembly Hall on Saturday night. It was the second time this year Zeller has won the league's weekly award.
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